PEBBLE BEACH At the end of the game, the Pirates came out on top. The Harbor Pirates, that is.

The high school football game that featured the Pirates versus the Pirates ended up being as well matched as their school mascots. They were both led by quick, agile quarterbacks that played both ways. They both fielded experienced, high jumping receivers and hard hitting defensive lines. They both wore jerseys and helmets lined in green and gold.

Stevenson had a fast start defensively, forcing a thre and out on Harbor’s first possession. Stevenson set the tone on their first offensive play of the game when quarterback Curtis Thayer connected with fellow captain Adam Merry for a 62 yard touchdown pass.cheap nfl jerseys

Harbor responded with a strike of its own on the ensuing drive, led by multi purpose quarterback Rob Atkinson. Atkinson used his agility to scramble for 21 yards before completing a 26 yard pass to Vince Dempewolf that landed the visiting Pirates on the 1 yard line. Zack Dolton slipped past the defensive line to give Harbor a 7 6 lead.

Although they lost 40 yards on 6 penalties, Harbor dominated the second quarter.

The quarter was scoreless until the final seconds of the half. On the 12 yard line with no timeouts remaining, Harbor made a pass to a slanting receiver across the middle. Despite being tackled on the 1 ard line, wide receiver Sam Walters lunged forward, landing the ball on the goal line. The last second touchdown gave Harbor the 13 6 lead at halftime.

In the second half, Stevenson came out of the gates running. It pounded the ball up the middle behind running backs Tyler Allen and Dan Griffin. Stevenson completed four of its total eight first downs in the third quarter, which contributed to a 4:15 touchdown drive. Harbor couldn’t keep up its first half momentum, leaving the game tied 13 13 at the end of three.

Just when the Stevenson Pirates thought they had solved Harbor’s offensive puzzle, Atkinson completed a pass to Jalen Cahill, who exploded for a 44 yard gain in the fourth. From Stevenson’s 15 yard line, Atkinson completed another pass to Dempewolf for the score.

Desperate for a touchdown, Stevenson attempted to quickly pass its way down the field. However, with just over two minutes remaining, Curtis Thayer was intercepted by then safety Atkinson at the 32 yard line.

Despite the play, three defensive stops gave Stevenson the ball back at its own 34 yard line with 1:02 left. The Stevenson Pirates made 15 and 12 yard completions on consecutive pass attempts, which put them on Harbor’s 40 yard line with 6 seconds remaining. Thayer’s hail Merry as time expired came up short, with Atkinson outjumping the targeted receiver.

“We tried to win the game and in the course of trying to win the game we made some mistakes,” said head coach Germano Diniz. “Some plays are going to happen and some things are not going to happen. We went out there and did the best we could.